THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an allegory told as a fable. The novel integrates ideas and philosophies of many faiths and historical periods. Several of these ideas, including the pursuit of truth, one's destiny, and the attainment of personal happiness, have been explored since ancient times and by countless faiths and peoples. Coelho refers to these ideas as one's "Personal Legend." Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Christianity, and several tribal cultures in addition to ancient and modern philosophers have attempted to subscribe paths to achieve personal fulfillment. Therefore, although The Alchemist is about no faith or philosophy in particular, it is about all faiths and all philosophies.